Adventure Sports Rescue

Adventure Sports were introduced in Kashmir on a regularbasis as an “Active Tourism” activity in early seventies of the last century byestablshing an Adventure Tourism Wing in the Directorate of Tourism. The sevenSki and Mountaineering Instructors trained by the then Gulmarg Ski Schoolsubsequently named as the Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering (IISM)were absorbed in the wing. With theestablishment of the Adventure Wing in theTourism Department, the Adventure Tourism arrivals received a boost. A largenumber of domestic and foreign travel agencies started regular groups fortrekking, mountaineering, rafting and skiing in winter. Before the turmoil ofthe nineties the adventure tourism had received a big boost. Almost 40 to 50foreign mountaineering expeditions used to visit Kashmir. The trekking groupswere over a few hundred. The increase  inadventure groups necessaciated quick and efficient rescue arrangements. Tocater for these activities the Adventure Wing set up a Rescue Co-ordinationCommittee. The Committee comprised of representatives from Air Force, Army(High Altitude Warfare School), Police Wireless Organisation and the TourismDepartment. The Committee worked out streamlined and quick reaction methods forrescue of adventure enthusiasts in distress. Rescue was always arranged onverbal requests by various agencies and the written formalities were completedsubsequently. In fact, the Union Ministries of Home and Defence had authorisedin addition to normal District Magistates, the Divisional Officers of theTourism Department (Deputy Directors Tourism) to place demands for aerial andother rescues including the surface rescues by specialised teams of the HighAltitudeWarfare School at Gulmarg.

The most important requirement for mounting a rescue missionis the receipt of information by the quickest means. In initial stages, thiswas done through the Police Wireless Organisation who were authorised by theMinistry of Communication to accept and transmit rescue messages for lifesaving free of cost through all Police Wireless Stations. Subsequently, theTourism Department had also set up its own High Frequency Wireless Network wuthstations at Srinagar, Jammu, Kargil, Leh, Padum and Delhi. All the TouristOffices at these places were in HF Radio Contact contrinuously. The network wasset up after obtaining a regular licence from the Ministry of Communicationsand importing the latest wireless equipment from Australia. This set up was agreat help in arranging rescue of foreign and indian mountaineers and trekkersin distress. A number of dramatic rescues were arranged from Nun Kun area ofLadakh and Kolahoi area in Kashmir.

   

In order to train local instructors in rescue a number ofrafting coaches from Nanthahala Outbound Centre of USA and from Newzealand wereinvited by the department. These instructors stayed in the valley from a coupleof months to almost a year and trained the local instructors in rescue. Theturmoil of nineties caused a big disruption in adventure activities especiallytrekking in the valley. However, the heli-skiing and skiing at Gulmarg andmountaineering and trekking in Ladakh continued and is still going on at anappreciable scale. Gulmarg continues to have a “Ski Patrol” supervised by aforeign coach for rescue during winter.The rafting in the valley especially onSindh River at Sonamarg and Lidder River in Pahalgam has been regularly goingon even at present.

Recently there was a rafting accident in Pahalgam area inwhich a brave heart Rouf, a local rafting guide gave his life to save fivetourists. This is an act of the highest bravery and devotion and needs praisefrom one and all. However, subsequently, there was another accident in whichtwo persons died. Apart from rescue this incident highlights lack of control onthese adventure activities which are hazardous in nature and entail observationof certain basic safety rules. Normally, this would not have happened if therehad been a proper rescue set up and strict control on these activities. Thisincident has once again highlighted the need for reviving the earlier rescueset up which had been operating in seventies and eighties when the adventuretourism was at its peak. In many European Countries including England andFrance, there are regular rescue organisations which not only initiate quickrescue missions but also regularly patrol adventure sports areas to monitorvarious activities. Keeping in view the present traffic in the field ofAdventure Tourism it may not be viable to have a full fledged rescueorganisation like some European countries. It would be ideal to use theservices of the existig organisations by utilising the resources of the sameand co-ordinating the activities of these for rescue of adventure tourists aswell as local boys undertaking various adventure sports. In order to achievethese objectives, it would be essential to either have a separate Directorateof  Adventure Tourism as suggestedearlier in these columns or revive the Adventure Tourism Wing in the presentDirectorate of Tourism as it existed till nineties or so. There are a number oftrained instructors in various fields in Kashmir who can be contacted to form acore rescue group. It would also be useful to revive the Rescue Co-ordinationCommittee so as to streamline rescue operations whenever required. As thefuture trend in tourism at present seems to be on Adventure Tourism, it may beworthwhile to keep the Rescue part in view.

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